Meet the 2017 TWIC Mentors

NATIONAL REPORT — Fifty female executives, managers and up-and-comers who work in the convenience store industry will be honored this fall in the fourth-annual Convenience Store News Top Women in Convenience awards program.

Honorees are selected based on nominations from their peers that illustrate a candidate’s innovative corporate initiatives, extraordinary financial and strategic accomplishments, astute problem-solving acumen, exceptional performance and selfless charitable participation, among other attributes that go above and beyond the call of duty.

This year’s judging panel selected five Women of the Year, 22 Senior-Level Leaders, 15 Rising Stars, and eight Mentors to be inducted into the 2017 TWIC class.

This year's Mentors are:

Treasa Bowers
Vice President of Human Resources, 7-Eleven Inc.

• Bowers leads the human resources generalist activities in the field and at the 7-Eleven Store Support Center, and also spearheads talent acquisition.
• She started her career at 7-Eleven as a store operator in 1983.
• She is involved in the Network of Executive Women and Women's Foodservice Forum.

 

Misha Clark
Convenience Store Manager, Hy-Vee Inc.

• Clark has successfully opened two new Hy-Vee convenience stores in Illinois: one in Peoria and her current store in Galesburg.
• Since opening the Galesburg location one year ago, she has achieved double-digit increases in inside sales and gallons each week.
• She manages 12 employees.

 

Carolina Felici
Corporate Area Trainer for Southern California Districts 11A, 11B & 11D, Chevron Corp.

• As a corporate area trainer, Felici schedules, coordinates and delivers the classroom and on-site portions of the Chevron Stations Inc. training.
• She was named the company's Top Manager of the Year for 2016.
• Felici began her career with Chevron as manager of Store No. 1988 in Valencia, Calif.

 

Monique Horn
Chief Accounting Officer, Family Express Corp.

• Horn has overseen the addition of 60-plus stores during her 30-year tenure at Family Express.
• Under her leadership, Family Express has become one of the most noted technology-driven small chains in the convenience store industry.
• The accounting office has seen virtually zero turnover in the past two decades.

 

Rhonda Johnston
Section Sales Director, Altria Group Distribution Co.

• Johnston leads an organization of 130-plus employees in Texas and New Mexico, and is responsible for more than $1 billion in business.
• She has held 15 positions during her 30-year career with Altria.
• She currently serves as chair of the largest Altria Employee Resource Group called “Women in Sales.”

 

Jenifer Morgan
District Manager, Maverik Inc.

• Morgan manages a district of nine Maverik stores in central Utah.
• Many of the Adventure Guides that Morgan hired have been promoted to higher-level positions in her district and beyond.
• She began her career with Maverik as a foodservice manager in Cedar City, Utah, in 1997, and received her 20-year service award this year.

 

Sandy O'Donnell
Professional Development Consultant, RaceTrac Petroleum Inc.

• O'Donnell is the most-tenured member of RaceTrac's Talent, Learning and Development Team, working nine years at the company.
• She's supported several new leader transitions with a New Leader Assimilation process.
• She is a registered corporate coach who is certified in DISC and Emotional Intelligence.

 

Cynthia Rehwaldt
Senior Manager, Training Delivery, CST Brands Inc.

• Rehwaldt manages a team of 16 training specialists and instructional design specialists.
• Her responsibilities include managing and directing the rollout of training for all new retail processes, systems and applications. 
• She takes pride in having developed a comprehensive management development program that provides a career path for assistant managers and store managers. 

 

All of the 2017 honorees will be celebrated at an awards reception taking place during the 2017 NACS Show, the largest annual gathering of the convenience store industry. The program will begin at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18 at the Hyatt McCormick Place Hotel in Chicago, right after the NACS Show floor closes for the day. Marcia Clark, the lead Los Angeles prosecutor in the O.J. Simpson "Trial of the Century," will keynote this special event.